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Potential Effects of a Moderate or Severe TBI						Print
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					A moderate or severe TBI may result in an extended period of unconsciousness (coma) or amnesia. The effects of a moderate or severe TBI are different for each person and may change during recovery. Most people will have one or more health problems after the injury that may include:
Physical symptoms
Problems with thinking and learning, and
Changes in motor skills, hearing, vision, emotions/mood, or behavior1Symptoms of moderate or severe TBI
**Thinking and Learning**
**Thinking and Learning**
**Thinking and Learning**
**Motor Skills, Hearing, and Vision**
**Motor Skills, Hearing, and Vision**
**Motor Skills, Hearing, and Vision**
**Emotion/Mood**
**Emotion/Mood**
**Emotion/Mood**
**Behavior**
**Behavior**
**Behavior**
Difficulty understanding and thinking clearly
**Thinking and Learning**
Difficulty understanding and thinking clearly
Weakness in arms and legs
**Motor Skills, Hearing, and Vision**
Weakness in arms and legs
Feeling more emotional than usual
**Emotion/Mood**
Feeling more emotional than usual
Trouble controlling behavior
**Behavior**
Trouble controlling behavior
Trouble communicating and learning skills
**Thinking and Learning**
Trouble communicating and learning skills
Problems with coordination and balance
**Motor Skills, Hearing, and Vision**
Problems with coordination and balance
Nervousness or anxiety
**Emotion/Mood**
Nervousness or anxiety
Personality changes
**Behavior**
Personality changes
Problems concentrating
**Thinking and Learning**
Problems concentrating
Problems with hearing and vision
**Motor Skills, Hearing, and Vision**
Problems with hearing and vision
Feeling more angry or aggressive than usual
**Emotion/Mood**
Feeling more angry or aggressive than usual
More impulsive than usual
**Behavior**
More impulsive than usual
Difficulty remembering information
**Thinking and Learning**
Difficulty remembering information
Changes in sensory perception, such as touch
**Motor Skills, Hearing, and Vision**
Changes in sensory perception, such as touch
Sadness, depression
**Emotion/Mood**
Sadness, depression
–
**Behavior**
–Long-term negative effects of TBI are significantEven after surviving a moderate or severe TBI and receiving inpatient rehabilitation services, a person’s life expectancy is 9 years shorter. TBI increases the risk of dying from several causes. Compared to people without TBI, people with TBI are more likely to die from:
Seizures 50 times, Accidental drug poisoning 11 times, Infections 9 times, and Pneumonia 6 times more likely.**After inpatient rehabilitation for TBI, the following groups are more likely to die sooner:**
Older adults
Men
Unemployed
People who are not married
People with fewer years of education
People with more severe TBI
People with fall-related TBIIn addition, **people with moderate to severe TBI typically face a variety of chronic health problems**. These issues add costs and burdens to people with TBI, their families, and society. Among those still alive 5 years after injury:
57% are moderately or severely disabled.
55% do not have a job (but were employed at the same time of their injury)
50% return to a hospital at least once
33% rely on others for help with everyday activities
29% are not satisfied with life
29% use illicit drugs or misuse alcohol
12% reside in nursing homes or other institutionsReferencesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Report to Congress on traumatic brain injury in the United States: Epidemiology and rehabilitation. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2015.
Corrigan JD, Cuthbert JP, Harrison-Felix C, et al. US population estimates of health and social outcomes 5 years after rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury. *J Head Trauma Rehabil.*2014;29(6):E1-9.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health. Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury is a Lifelong Condition. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pdf/Moderate_to_Severe_TBI_Lifelong-a.pdf.
Goldman SM, Kamel F, Ross GW, et al. Head injury, alpha-synuclein Rep1, and Parkinson’s disease. *Ann Neurol* 2012;71:40–8.
							
					
							Last Reviewed:  April 10, 2023						Source: 	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
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